Maria has been learning and working in Waldorf schools since 2006 and is deeply committed to making Waldorf education accessible to families from all walks of life. She began her Waldorf journey at Winterberry, a Waldorf-inspired charter school in Anchorage, Alaska, and continued her studies through Taruna College in New Zealand and the LifeWays/Asheville training. She also holds a degree in Music Education, with a focus on Elementary Music and Choral Conducting, from Converse College in South Carolina.

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Maria has deep roots at AWS. As a founding board member of Asheville Waldorf School, she has been part of our faculty and staff since the school’s inception. Over the years, she has taught Parent-Child classes, Nursery, Kindergarten, Grade 3, and Music, and has mentored new teachers through both AWS and the LifeWays/Asheville program. Maria also served on the AWS Administrative Team as Admissions Director for five years, helping welcome and guide many families into our school community. She has also taught with LifeWays/Jacksonville and at Rudolf Steiner College’s Community Learning Center in Anchorage.

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For the past two years, Maria and her family have been homeschooling and traveling. They returned to Asheville this summer, and we are delighted to welcome the whole family back to AWS! Her daughters, Perry and Maisie, will join our 3rd and 5th Grades, and Maria will return to the classroom as our newest Kindergarten Lead Teacher.

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As the parent of a child with a learning difference, Maria is especially passionate about helping families navigate support for their children’s unique learning needs. She has seen firsthand how the nurturing and healing aspects of Waldorf education can benefit all children.

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Maria lives with her husband, Butch, and their daughters. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys tandem biking, singing, painting, swimming, contra dancing, and studying Spanish.